OUT-OF-PRINT & RARITIES SELECTED BY LIZARDSON & FRIENDS

Tuesday, November 21, 2006

The Web "Theraphosa Blondi" 1970

Web/SamuraiIt all started back in 1967 when the musicians Lennie Wright, Kenny Beveridge, Tom Harris, Tony Edwards and John Eaton moved to London and started a band they gave a rather hopeless name: John L. Watson and The Web. Watson was an American singer who had joined the band. The year after, the band wisely changed their name to just The Web, and recorded their first album called "Fully Interlocking". Both this and the follow-up "Theraphosa Blondi" had some listenable moments, but overall they showed a band who didn't know if they should play pop-music or progressive rock.

Watson left the group in 1970 and was replaced by Dave Lawson. With this line-up, the band were ready to make the albums which they are remembered by some for. They switched label to Polydor (the two first albums were both released on Deram) and they also deleted the "the" in the name, and simply just called the band Web. Lawson turned out to be the creative force in the band and he wrote all the material on the third album, "I Spider". This album, which was produced by drummer Lennie Wright, is an obscure classic of progressive rock.

After changing label again, this time to the small label Greenwich, the band changed their name AGAIN. This time they chose the name Samurai, which also was the name of the last album they recorded. In the mean time, Tom Harris had left the group and was replaced by two new members on wind instruments, Don Fay and Tony Roberts. The album was another progressive rock classic, but the band did unfortunately split up a little time after the release of the album.

Dave Lawson did later join the symphonic progressive rock group Greenslade. From what I've heard he is now working in the TV-business. I have absolutely no idea about what the rest of the band have done after the break-up.

Had no idea that Samurai materialized out of the earlier, Web. Definitely need to hear their '68 through '71 material. i guess that it's kinda like how Burnin Red Ivanhoe morphed into Secret Oyster. Those guys, along with Denmark's Thors Hammer, and Germany's Missing Link are not to be overlooked if you're apt to appreciate Web/Samurai.